REBEL councils that split from the umbrella body representing Scottish local government have begun meeting trade unions in preparation for playing a role in negotiations.
The Scottish Local Government Partnership agreed to appoint Cllr Jenny Laing, the Leader of Aberdeen City Council, as Convener of the Partnership at its meeting yesterday.
The new entity, spearheaded by four Labour authorities, has been set up as an alternative to Cosla, the umbrella body for councils, and represents around a quarter of the Scottish population.
It comprises of Aberdeen, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire councils, but is open to others to join.
Its cabinet plans to write to the First Minister, the Secretary of State for Scotland, Cosla , and the other Scottish councils setting out the its role.
Speaking following the cabinet meeting and the meeting with trade unions Cllr Laing said: "The SLGP is a new and significant voice in Scottish local government. The councils which form the partnership serve almost a quarter of the population of Scotland and the areas we represent are responsible for almost half of Scotland's economic output.
"In the future it will simply be impossible to talk to local government as a whole without including us as an equal partner.
"I was delighted to meet with colleagues from Scotland's trade unions today to discuss the role we will play in pay negotiations. We were pleased to reassure them of our commitment to national collective bargaining after the Partnership is formally established in April.
"We have also written to the First Minister, the Secretary of State for Scotland, the President of Cosla, and all of Scotland's other councils and I hope we will be able to meet them soon to discuss how we can work together to strengthen local democracy and build better communities."
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